Birds of Indiana: Top 35 Most Common

The birds of Indiana include more than 420 species found in 36,418 square miles of woodlands, wetlands, farms, and restored grassland habitats. That’s more birds than most people realize but here’s the secret; The Hoosier State is a fantastic place for birding!

Indiana has handsome Bobolinks, beautiful warblers, Bald Eagles and lots of other birds to see. If you have gone birding in Indiana, we bet you’ve seen a lot of birds but were you able to identify everything?

To help, we used the latest data to make an up-to-date list of common backyard and wild birds in Indiana!

Most common birds of Indiana

According to eBird sightings, the following list shows the most commonly seen birds of Indiana. Although birds are arranged from the most common species to the least frequently seen birds, just a reminder that the ones on the bottom of the list are common too!

To make the list more helpful, we also included information about field marks and behavior.

Northern Cardinal

Scientific name: Cardinalis cardinalis

Length: 8.75 inches
Weight: 1.6 ounces
Wingspan: 12 inches
Song: “pichew-pichew-pichew, chew,chew,chew,chew,chew”

Northern Cardinals are one of the most beautiful common birds in most states, including Indiana. Not to mention that it is also a Indiana’s State bird. It’s no wonder seven other states chose it to be their official bird. Another fun fact about this species is that female Northern Cardinals also sing. They sing while sitting on the nest and may do so to tell their mates to bring food or warn them about predators.

Key Identifications:

• Crested bird with a conical orange-red beak and a black face. Males are red, females are grayish-brown and buff.
• Forages for seeds and insects on and near the ground.
• Makes a cup-shaped nest in bushes and low trees.
• Sings a clear, whistled song of repeated notes. They can sound like “cheer, cheer, chew, chew, chew, chew” or a quick “birdee,birdee,birdee,birdee,birdee“. They also make loud, sharp chip notes.

Blue Jay

Photograph © Alan Wilson.

Scientific name: Cyanocitta cristata

Length: 11 inches
Weight: 3 ounces
Wingspan: 16 inches
Song: “Nyeah! Nyeah! Nyeah!”

The Blue Jay is a common, intelligent, and noisy bird in Indiana. They make their presence known with their loud calls and can visit feeders. Ironically, when communicating with each other at close quarters, this species makes much softer and quieter calls. It’s almost as if they are talking with each other!

Key Identifications:

• Crested, fairly large bird with bright blue above and gray below.
• Feeds in trees and at feeders. Eats acorns, nuts, insects and many other food items.
• Makes a messy cup nest of sticks in a tree.
• Very vocal. In flight, Blue Jays often call as they swoop through the trees. They make a variety of sounds and mimic some other birds. Common calls include a nasal and complaining “Nyeah! Nyeah! Nyeah!” and various whistled calls.

American Robin

Photograph © Tom Grey

Scientific name: Turdus migratorius

Length: 10 inches
Weight: 2.7 ounces
Wingspan: 17 inches
Song: “cheery, cheery, cheery, cheery, cheer, cheer”

The American Robin is a common, handsome thrush with dark gray upperparts and brick red and white underparts. It forages for worms and bugs on lawns and other open, grassy spots, and also eats berries. Populations of the American Robin have been estimated at 370,000,000; a number that gives this bird the distinction of being the most numerous landbird in North America.

Key Identifications:

• Fair-sized songbird that is dark gray above, and brick red and white below.
• Forages for worms and bugs on lawns and other open grassy areas, also flocks together to feed on fruiting trees in the winter.
• Makes a cup nest in trees.
• The American Robin is quite vocal and makes a loud, sharp, “yenk!” call and quieter “check,check,check” calls. It also has a lovely cheerful song of caroled phrases, “cheery, cheery, cheery, cheery, cheer, cheer”.

Mourning Dove

Photograph © Greg Lavaty.

Scientific name: Zenaida macroura

Length: 12 inches
Weight: 4.2 ounces
Wingspan: 18 inches
Song: “hooOOA, hoo, hoo, hoo”

The Mourning Dove is the common garden dove in most of its range, being one of the most common birds of Indiana. It often visits feeders and its cooing song is commonly mistake for an owl. This species has a short lifespan with many adults only living for a couple of years or less.

Related: Owl species in Indiana

Key Identifications:

• Plain brown and gray dove with a long, pointed tail.
• Feeds on seeds at feeders and on the ground in open areas.
• Makes a small, messy nest of sticks in trees.
• Sings a sad and owl-like “hooOOA, hoo, hoo, hoo”.

Downy Woodpecker

Scientific name: Dryobates pubescens

Length: 6.75 inches
Weight: .95 ounces
Wingspan: 12 inches
Song: “Pik! Ch,ch,ch,ch,ch,ch,ch!”

Downy Woodpeckers are the smallest woodpecker species in North America and usually occur in pairs. They can also forage with other small birds and often visit feeders in Indiana. This species takes advantage of its size to peck into the stems of weeds and other plants too small for larger woodpeckers to perch on.

Key Identifications:

• Smallest woodpecker in North America. Mostly black and white with a short, black beak.
• Forages on trees, in bushes, and at feeders for insects, seeds, and suet.
• Nests in tree cavities.
• The Downy Woodpecker makes sharp “pik!” calls and also has a trilled call, “Ch,ch,ch,ch,ch,ch,ch!“.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Scientific name: Melanerpes carolinus

Length: 9.25 inches
Weight: 2.2 ounces
Wingspan: 16 inches
Song: “Qwerr!”

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are common and adaptable birds. As long as big trees are present, we see them in urban areas as well as wilder places. They also visit feeders and have a very long tongue. When extended, it sticks out 2 inches past the tip of its bill!

Key Identifications:

• Grayish woodpecker with black and white barring above, and red on the top of the head and back of the neck.
• Forages for seeds, nuts, insects and other food on trunks and branches.
• Nests in a tree cavity, high overhead.
• Makes a loud exclamation, “Qwerr!“. It also makes other, briefer and quieter “chug” calls.

Tufted Titmouse

Scientific name: Baeolophus bicolor

Length: 6.5 inches
Weight: .75 ounces
Wingspan: 9.75 inches
Song: “peter peter peter”

The Tufted Titmouse is common bird of Indiana and easily recognized in parks, gardens, and woodlands. It occurs in small flocks, often visits feeders, and needs dead trees or nest boxes to breed. This species lines its nest with mammal hair including fur from Raccoons, Opossums, and other animals.

Key Identifications:

• Small, crested blue-gray bird with pale underparts and a white face.
• Feeds on seeds and insects and visits feeders.
• Nests in tree cavities and nest boxes.
• The Tufted Titmouse is a very vocal bird. It gives constant whistled calls over and over, “peter peter peter“.

American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch

Scientific name: Carduelis tristis

Length: 5 inches
Weight: .46 ounces
Wingspan: 9 inches
Song: “swit sweet, sipsipsipchichisweetsweet”

The American Goldfinches are small, common finches that frequent weedy and brushy fields, second growth, parks, and backyards. Outside of the breeding season, they occur in small flocks and often visit feeders. Brown-headed Cowbirds that hatch in American Goldfinch nests die after a few days because they can’t survive on a diet of seeds.

Key Identifications:

• Small, bright yellow finch with a black cap, wings and tail (summer male), female and winter males are plain brown, buff, and yellowish birds with two pale wing bars.
• Feeds on seeds in low plants, trees, and at feeders.
• Makes a tightly woven cup nest high in a shrub or low tree.
• Often gives a “per chickory” call in flight and sings a short, trilled song, “swit sweet, sipsipsipchichisweetsweet”.

American Crow

Scientific name: Corvus brachyrhynchos

Length: 17.5 inches
Weight: 1 pound
Wingspan: 39 inches
Song: “Caw! Caw!”

The American Crow is a common, large black bird that frequently calls, “Caw! Caw! Caw!”. It usually occurs in flocks and lives in all sorts of places, even urban zones, including Indiana. These birds are very smart and have funerals or wakes! When a crow dies, other crows mark the occasion by gathering together and loudly calling.

Key Identifications:

• Big, all black bird with long, broad wing and a broad tail.
• Forages for carrion, fruit, seeds, insects, and small animals.
• Builds a bulky stick nest high in a tree.
• American Crows are very vocal birds. They can make several calls but their most common one is, “Caw! Caw! Caw!”.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Scientific name: Sitta carolinensis

Length: 5.75 inches
Weight: .74 ounces
Wingspan: 11 inches
Song: “wehn wehn wehn wehn wehn wehn wehn wehn”

The White-breasted Nuthatches are small blue-gray and white birds with slightly upturned beaks. They creep down trees in many wooded areas and are regular visitors to feeders. This species prefers to forage in flocks with chickadees and titmouse species because they are good at finding food and quick to make alarm calls when they see a predator.

Key Identifications:

• Sparrow-sized, short-tailed songbird that is blue-gray above, mostly white below, and has a longish, slightly upturned beak.
• Creeps on branches and down tree trunks for insects, nuts, and seeds. Also visits feeders.
• Uses grass and soft bark to make a cup nest in a tree cavity or nest box.
• Quite vocal and makes nasal calls “yank yank”, and sings a nasal, laughter-like song, “wehn wehn wehn wehn wehn wehn wehn wehn”.

Song Sparrow

Scientific name: Melospiza melodia

Length: 6.25 inches
Weight: .7 ounces
Wingspan: 8.25 inches
Song: “seet serate sitsziziziziziziziz seet”

The Song Sparrows are reddish-brown songbirds with dark brown streaks and a dark brown breast patch on white underparts. They usually occur in pairs and are often heard and seen in brushy areas and large gardens. There are several subspecies with distinct plumages including a large, dark one that lives on the Aleutian Islands.

Key Identifications:

• Small brown, streaked sparrow with a dark mark on its breast.
• Forages on and near the ground for seeds and insects in brushy habitats.
• Builds a cup nest on or near the ground in a shrub or low tree.
• Makes high-pitched “tink”, chirping calls, and has a cheerful song with a trill, “seet serate sitsziziziziziziziz seet”.

Carolina Chickadee

Scientific name: Poecile carolinensis

Length: 4.75 inches
Weight: .37 ounces
Wingspan: 7.5 inches
Song: “see-dee, see-dew”

The Carolina Chickadee is a small grayish bird with a black cap and throat. Also in Indiana, they usually occur in small flocks that forage for insects and seeds as they chatter and move through woodlands and park-like habitats. This species uses its excellent memory to recall where it keeps hidden bits of food.

Key Identifications:

• The Carolina Chickadee is a small gray and buff bird with a smart black cap, black throat, and white face.
• Feeds on small insects and seeds. A regular visitor to bird feeders.
• Nests in tree cavities and nest boxes.
• Carolina Chickadees are vocal birds that make nasal “chick a dee dee dee” calls, and a high-pitched, “see-dee, see-dew”.

House Finch

Photograph © John Hansen

Scientific name: Haemorhous mexicanus

Length: 6 inches
Weight: .88 ounces
Wingspan: 10 inches
Song: “chip,chip,chiprididip,ZREEYachip”

House Finches are sparrow-like, reddish or brownish, streaked birds. They live in arid zones as well as in parks and urban areas. All of the millions of House Finches that live east of the Rocky Mountains are descendants of birds released on Long Island in 1939.

Key Identifications:

• Reddish or plain gray-brown, streaked, sparrow-like bird.
• Eats seeds, flowers, buds, and fruit. Can visit feeders but also forages on the ground and in bushes and trees.
• Makes a soft cup nest in trees, on building ledges, and other places.
• The House Finch often makes a soft, “fidip” call. Males also sing a warbling song from prominent, high perches. It sounds like, “chip,chip,chiprididip,ZREEYachip”.

House Sparrow

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) perched on a branch in the Atlantic rainforest of southeast Brazil.

Scientific name: Passer domesticus

Length: 6.25 inches
Weight: .98 ounces
Wingspan: 9.5 inches
Song: “see,chirrup,see,chirrup,see,chirrup”

In many places, the House Sparrow is the common urban sparrow in Indiana. It occurs in pairs and small groups that forage on sidewalks, in parking lots, farm fields, and other familiar places. This species is one of the very few birds that has evolved to live with people and digest the same grains that we eat.

Key Identifications:

• Brown and gray sparrow with a bold pattern on its head.
• Feeds on seeds, grain, and insects at feeders and on the ground in urban areas and farmlands.
• Nests in tree cavities, including nest boxes.
• This species is vocal and often makes short chirping calls. Its song is a friendly series of chirping sounds, “see,chirrup,see,chirrup,see,chirrup”.

European Starling

Photograph © Greg Lavaty.

Scientific name: Sturnus vulgaris

Length: 8.5 inches
Weight: 2.9 ounces
Wingspan: 16 inches
Song: “tiktiktitZHREEree..tiktiktik..ZHREE”

European Starlings are rounded, blackish birds with long, sharp beaks and short tails. They live in towns, cities, parks, on farms, and in other open habitats. This species forms large flocks called, “murmurations” that move in coordinated patterns.

Key Identifications:

• Rotund, short-tailed bird with a long, sharp beak, and pointed wings. Glossy black with some spotting in the summer and blackish with heavy white spotting and streaking in the winter.
• Feeds on seeds, fruit, and insects. Visits feeders and forages on the ground in flocks.
• Builds a soft cup nest in nest boxes and other cavities.
• The European Starling makes a wide variety of mechanical and whistled sounds. They also mimic other birds and sounds in their environment. They sing long, jumbled mechanical-sounding songs, “tiktiktitZHREEree..tiktiktik..ZHREE”.

Canada Goose

Scientific name: Branta canadensis

Length: 35 – 45.2 inches
Weight: 5.29 – 19.8 pounds
Wingspan: 50 – 67 inches
Song: “uurrRUNK! uurrRUNK!”

The Canada geese are a large, common goose species with long black necks, and a black and white head. These big birds are a common sight on golf courses and other places that combine open lawns and water. When the Canada Goose and other birds migrate in “V” formation, they expend less energy than flying on their own.

Key Identifications:

• Big, gray-brown goose with a long black neck, and black and white head.
• Grazes vegetation and forages for berries in wide open, grassy habitats near water like golf courses, parks, and airports.
• Makes a shallow, open cup nest on an elevated spot next to water.
• Vocal and often makes honking calls, “uurrRUNK! uurrRUNK!”.

Red-winged Blackbird

Scientific name: Agelaius phoeniceus

Length: 8.75 inches
Weight: 1.8 ounces
Wingspan: 13 inches
Song: “kan-keree!”

The Red-winged Blackbird is a common, social species easily seen in marshes and open habitats. In the winter, it can form huge flocks that feed in farm fields. This species can make a daily commute of 50 miles to and from roosting and feeding sites.

Key Identifications:

• Males are medium-sized blackbirds with a bright red patch on their wings. Females are heavily streaked, have a sharp black beak, and buff on the head.
• Feeds on seeds, grain, and insects on the ground in many open habitats.
• Builds a cup nest in a bush or other low vegetation.
• Red-winged Blackbirds often call. Males sing a loud, “kan-keree!” and both sexes also make “check!” calls and a high-pitched whistle-like sound.

Carolina Wren

Scientific name: Thryothorus ludovicianus

Length: 5.5 inches
Weight: .74 ounces
Wingspan: 7.5 inches
Song: “teakettle, teakettle, teakettle”

The Carolina Wren is a vocal species of gardens and second growth. Pairs use their long beaks to catch bugs and insects and aren’t shy about nesting near people. Many of these friendly birds have nested in such places as old shoes, potted plants, and abandoned cars.

Juveniles are similar but have paler underparts. This animated and vocal little bird forages for bugs in vine tangles and other dense vegetation. It usually occurs in pairs that can easily hide in the dense vegetation they prefer.

Carolina Wrens build a domed, cup nest made of sticks and soft vegetation. There is a side entrance and it can be placed in cavities and crevices of stumps, bushes, trees, potted plants, and other structures.

The Carolina Wren lives in vegetated gardens, second growth, parks and similar habitats in much of the eastern USA, parts of southern Ontario, and parts of eastern Mexico.

Key Identifications:

• Small reddish-brown and buff bird with a long beak and long white eyebrow.
• Feeds on arthropods in dense, tangled vegetation.
• Makes a domed cup nest with a side entrance in crevices, tree cavities, and human-made structures.
• Carolina Wrens fill the garden with loud and melodious songs. One common song sounds like, “teakettle, teakettle, teakettle“. They also make trilled sounds and harsh, nasal calls.

Mallard

Mallard pair (Male and female)

Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos

Length: 23 inches
Weight: 2.4 pounds
Wingspan: 35 inches
Song: “quack, quack”

The Mallard is a fairly large and familiar duck with a dark green head (the male), or is buff and brown with a dark gray and orange beak (the female). Thus duck species often lives near people and occurs on lakes, ponds, and other wetlands. No matter how different they look, most small domestic duck species are descended from wild Mallards.

Female Mallards are mottled brown and buff with a dark crown and line through the eyes, and have a dark gray and orange beak.

In flight, both sexes show a green-blue wing patch bordered with white.

Mallards eat a variety of items including insect larvae, snails, other small aquatic creatures, acorns, seeds, and grain. They forage by filtering and picking up food items in and near shallow water, and in farm fields.

This duck species makes a shallow nest with sticks and lined with down feathers. It builds its nest on the ground, hidden in grass or under a bush.

The Mallard lives in ponds, marshes, and many wetland habitats in Canada, USA, and Eurasia.

Key Identifications:

• Large and familiar duck, male has dark green head, white ring around the neck, and a chestnut breast. Female is mottled buff and brown, and has a dark gray and orange beak.
• Feeds on insect larvae, grain, seeds, and other items picked up with its bill in and near shallow water.
• Makes a shallow stick nest hidden in grass or under a bush.
• The female Mallard makes the classic “quack, quack” duck sound. Males make similar but softer sounds and a whistling call.

Turkey Vulture

Scientific name: Cathartes aura

Length: 26 inches
Weight: 4 pounds
Wingspan: 67 inches
Song: “hisss”

The Turkey Vulture is commonly seen flying over every type of habitat. They are often seen on their own but can occur in flocks, especially during migration. Unlike most other birds, this species uses its amazing sense of smell to find dead animals.

Key Identifications:

• Big, dark raptor with a small red head that soars with long wings held in a “V”.
• Feeds on dead animals.
• Nests on the ground in caves and hollow logs in secluded areas.
• Turkey Vultures rarely call and mostly make hissing sounds at their nest.

Northern Flicker

Scientific name: Colaptes auratus

Length: 12.5 inches
Weight: 4.6 ounces
Wingspan: 20 inches
Song: “kick,kick,kik,kik,kik.kik.kik.kik.kik.kik.kik.kik!”

Northern Flickers are fairly big, tan woodpeckers with gray highlights, a white rump, and black markings. They mostly forage for ants on the ground in open and wooded areas. The red-shafted Northern Flickers in the west used to be considered a separate species from the yellow-shafted flickers of the east. At present, they are considered to be one species because they frequently hybridize with each other.

Key Identifications:

• Tan and gray woodpecker with black barring above, black marks below, and a bright, white rump.
• Forages for ants and other insects on the ground.
• Nests in tree cavities.
• A vocal woodpecker, the Northern Flicker often gives loud, “flicka,flicka,flicka” calls, and another loud, single note that sounds like, “Keer!” They also have a long, laughing vocalization of repeated notes, “kick,kick,kik,kik,kik.kik.kik.kik.kik.kik.kik.kik!”.

Dark-eyed Junco

Scientific name: Junco hyemalis

Length: 6.25 inches
Weight: .67 ounces
Wingspan: 9.25 inches
Song: “sipsipsipsipsipsipsip”

Dark-eyed Juncos are sparrow-like, gray and brown birds with much white in the tail. Common wintering birds in many areas, they forage for seeds on the ground in wooded and park-like habitats.  In many places, this common species is also known the “Snowbird” on account of only occurring in the winter months and having white on the belly and tail.

Other plumages include birds with dark masks and faint white wing bars, juncos with pale gray hoods and pinkish sides, and birds with blackish hoods and chestnut sides.

In flight, all Dark-eyed Juncos show extensive white in their longish tails.

This species feeds on seeds, insects, and some fruit and grain. Juncos forage on the ground in wooded areas, parks, and other habitats. They also feed on fallen seed beneath feeders.

They build cup nests on the ground under fallen logs, in roots, and other hidden spots. After breeding, juncos form flocks that forage together in similar wooded and semi-open habitats.

Dark-eyed Juncos are common birds in Canada, the USA, and parts of Mexico.

Key Identifications:

• Sparrow-like gray and brown bird with dark eyes, a pale beak, and white in the tail.
• Forages for seeds and insects on the ground, can feed on seeds at and beneath feeders.
• Builds a cup-shaped nest on the ground in tree roots, under logs, and other hidden places.
• This species often makes a sharp, high-pitched chip note, “pik!”. On breeding grounds, males sing a short, plain trill, “sipsipsipsipsipsipsip”.

Eastern Bluebird

Scientific name: Sialia sialis

Length: 7 inches
Weight: 1.1 ounces
Wingspan: 13 inches
Song: “fer fer chidip fer”

The Eastern Bluebird is a smallish, blue and white thrush with orange highlights. They live in open and semi-open areas, and, in winter, form flocks that feed at fruiting trees. Eastern Bluebird populations have been boosted in many areas by “Bluebird Trails”; areas with nest boxes designed for this species.

Key Identifications:

• Smallish blue and white bird with orange on their throat, breast, and flanks.
• Forages for insects and small fruit.
• Makes a shallow cup nest out of grass in a nest box or tree cavity.
• Has short melodious calls, “jeer” and a song of similar melodious notes, “cheweer chewit cherwit”.

Great Blue Heron

Scientific name: Ardea herodias 

Length: 46 inches
Weight: 5.3 pounds
Wingspan: 72 inches
Song: “Grunk! Grunk!”

The Great Blue Heron occurs on rivers, lakes, and many other wetlands. It stands still for long periods of time while waiting for prey to come within range of its sharp beak but is also, often seen in flight. In some parts of Florida, Great Blue Herons have a gray and brown body and a white neck and head. These birds are known as, “Wurdemann’s Heron”.

Key Identifications:

• Huge gray and pale brown wading bird with a thick, yellowish beak and a wispy crest. In southern Florida, it is all white but still has a crest and a strong yellowish beak.
• Stalks and preys on fish and small animals.
• Builds messy stick nests and breeds in colonies.
• Great Blue Herons aren’t all that vocal. When taking flight they make a croaking sound, “Grunk! Grunk!“.

Killdeer

Scientific name: Charadrius vociferus

Length: 10.5 inches
Weight: 3.3 ounces
Wingspan: 24 inches
Song: “tideer, tideer, tideer, tideer”

The Killdeer is the most common and familiar shorebird in much of its range and occurs in many open habitats. It is the only plover in North America with two black breast bands and has a longish, orange tail with a black tip. To scare cows near their nests, Killdeers fluff themselves to look bigger, raise their tail over their head, and run at the large animal.

Key Identifications:

• Fair-sized plover with two black breast bands and a wedge-shaped orange tail with a black tip.
• Picks seeds and small creatures from open ground.
• Lays camouflaged eggs on the ground, in gravel and open fields.
• Very vocal and sounds like it says its name, “tideer, tideer, tideer, tideer”.

Gray Catbird

Scientific name: Dumatella carolinensis

Length: 8.5 inches
Weight: 1.3 ounces
Wingspan: 11 inches
Song: “rheah!”

The Gray Catbirds are slender gray songbirds with a black cap and chestnut under the tail. Pairs forage for bugs and berries in dense second growth. Although they don’t mimic as many bird species as their mockingbird relatives, Gray Catbird songs include the sounds of some birds, frogs, and other noises.

Key Identifications:

• Small to medium-sized, slender gray bird with a black cap and chestnut under the tail.
• Feeds on insects and berries in low, dense vegetation.
• Builds a bulky cup nest in small trees and bushes.
• The Gray Catbird is quite vocal and often makes a cat-like mewing call, “rheah!”. It also has a melodious, complex song made of jumbled, chattering sounds and phrases.

Common Grackle

© Shawn McCready

Scientific name: Quiscalus quiscula

Length: 12.5 inches
Weight: 4 ounces
Wingspan: 17 inches
Song: “Sherink!”

The Common Grackle is a common, glossy black bird with pale eyes. It usually occurs in flocks in open and park-like habitats. This species occasionally nests in odd places, including occupied nests of Great Blue Herons and Ospreys!

Key Identifications:

• Fairly large, black bird with glossy purple, greenish, bronze, or dark blue highlights. It also has pale eyes and a long, wedge-shaped tail.
• Forages for insects, seeds, and other food on the ground in a variety of open habitats.
• Constructs a bulky cup nest in a conifer.
• Common Grackles are vocal birds. They frequently give raspy, metallic calls, “Sherink!”, and “kek” calls.

Brown-headed Cowbird

Scientific name: Momothrus ater

Length: 7.5 inches
Weight: 1.5 ounces
Wingspan: 12 inches
Song: “qwuipuh see!”

The Brown-headed Cowbird is a smallish blackbird with a short beak and brown head (male), or is gray with a white throat (female). This species flocks together and is very common in pastures and farming areas. Brown-headed Cowbirds have laid their eggs in nests of more than 220 species.

Key Identifications:

• Smallish blackbird with a brown head (males) and rather short beak. Females are dark gray with a white throat.
• Flocks forage for seeds and insects on the ground.
• Lays eggs in nests of other birds.
• This species is fairly vocal and often makes a rattling call. Males sing a brief song with bubbly and high-pitched notes, “qwuipuh see!”.

Pileated Woodpecker

Scientific name: Dryocopus pileatus

Length: 16.5 inches
Weight: 10 ounces
Wingspan: 29 inches
Song: “kek,kek,kek,kek,kek,kek!”

Pileated Woodpecker are big, mostly black woodpeckers with red on their crest and black and white on their face. They peck into wood to forage for ants and other insects and occur in mature forests. This species makes distinctive, large rectangular holes.

Key Identifications:

• Big, black, crested woodpecker with some red on its head, and black and white on its face, neck, and underwings.
• Pecks into wood to feeds on ants and other insects.
• Nests in tree cavities in mature forests.
• The Pileated Woodpecker makes a loud, repetitive laughing sound, “kek,kek,kek,kek,kek,kek!”.

House Wren

Photograph © Glenn Bartley.

Scientific name: Troglodytes aedon

Length: 4.75 inches
Weight: .39 ounces
Wingspan: 6 inches
Song: “sipsipsip twee tereesupsupsup”

The House Wren is a small, plain gray and brown bird often seen in gardens, parks, and around houses. Pairs forage on and near the ground, and frequently call and sing. House Wrens sometimes add spider egg sacs to their nests. When the spiders hatch, they help control mites and other small insects inside the nest.

Key Identifications:

• Small, plain grayish-brown bird with a sharp, slightly decurved beak and a pale throat.
• Forages for insects and other small creatures on and near the ground.
• Nests in tree cavities and nest boxes.
• The House Wren is a vocal bird that often makes short raspy calls. They also frequently sing a bright and bubbly song, “sipsipsip twee tereesupsupsup”.

Hairy Woodpecker

© Alan D. Wilson

Scientific name: Dryobates villosus

Length: 9.25 inches
Weight: 2.3 ounces
Wingspan: 15 inches
Song: “Qquechichichichichichicchichic!”

Hairy Woodpeckers are medium-sized, black and white woodpeckers with long, straight beaks. They need woodlands and parks with big trees and dominate the smaller Downy Woodpecker at feeders. This species gets its name from fine, hair-like feathers on its back.

Key Identifications:

• Medium-sized, black and white woodpecker with a long straight beak and unmarked, white outer tail feathers.
• Picks insects and fruit from bark of big trees, also eats seeds at feeders.
• Nests in tree cavities.
• Often calls and gives a sharp and explosive, “Peek!” and a longer rattle, “Qquechichichichichichicchichic!”.

White-throated Sparrow

Scientific name: Zonotrichia albicollis

Length: 6.75 inches
Weight: .91 ounces
Wingspan: 9 inches
Song: “Ohhh Canada Canada Canada”

The White-throated Sparrows are hefty gray and brown sparrow species with white throats, and black and white or tan stripes on their head. They breed in northern forests and flock together during the winter in various woodland habitats. The yellow pigment in the patches in front of their eyes comes from eating colorful berries during fall and winter.

Key Identifications:

• Large sparrow with a white throat and bold black and white or tan stripes on its head.
• Scratches leaves on the ground to find seeds and insects. They also eat berries.
• Makes a cup nest of grass, bark, and twigs, on the ground, under dense vegetation.
• Flocks of White-throated Sparrows often make sharp “tink” calls. They also sing a clear, whistled song, “Ohhh Canada Canada Canada” or, “Ohhh, Cana, Cana, Cana”.

Red-tailed Hawk

Scientific name: Buteo jamaicensis

Length: 19 inches
Weight: 2.4 pounds
Wingspan: 49 inches
Song: “Kreeeyahh!”

The Red-tailed Hawks are large dark brown and pale hawks with broad, reddish tails. The most common raptor in many areas, they often perch on powerline poles along roads. The Red-tailed Hawk’s vision is eight times better than a person’s; they can spot a tiny rodent while soaring 100 feet above it.

Related: Most common hawks in Indiana

Key Identifications:

• Large, bulky hawk with a broad, reddish tail.
• Catches squirrels, rats, pigeons, and many other small animals on the ground.
• Nests in large, bulky nests made of sticks.
• A vocal raptor, Red-tailed Hawks often call in flight. They usually give a “classic” but quiet sounding raptor scream, “Kreeeyahh!”.

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Scientific name: Contopus virens

Length: 6.25 inches
Weight: .49 ounces
Wingspan: 10 inches
Song: “pee-oh-wee!”

The Eastern Wood-Pewee is a plain, grayish-brown flycatcher with a faint eyering and two wing bars on long wings. This bird does not join flocks and sallies from a high perch to catch insects in flight in woodland habitats. Many of these familiar summer birds spend the winter in wild and remote areas of the western Amazon rainforest.

Key Identifications:

• Small, grayish-brown, plain flycatcher with a small crest, faint eyering, and two pale wing bars.
• Flies from a high perch to catch insects in flight.
• Makes a small cup nest out of plant matter and camouflages it with lichen.
• Often says its name with a whistled song, “pee-oh-wee!”.

Eastern Towhee

Scientific name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Length: 8.5 inches
Weight: 1.4 ounces
Wingspan: 10.5 inches
Song: “drink your TEA!”

The Eastern Towhees are thrush-sized, black and white birds with chestnut flanks and a small white patch in their wings. Pairs forage for seeds and insects in leaf litter. Brown-headed Cowbirds often lay eggs in Eastern Towhee nests but this doesn’t seem to have a big effect on their populations.

Key Identifications:

• Medium-sized, boldly patterned bird with a dark hood, small white wing patch, and chestnut flanks.
• Forages for insects and seeds on the ground, in leaf litter beneath and next to dense second growth.
• Builds an open cup nest in dense vegetation, near or on the ground.
• Quite vocal makes a brief jay or cat-like call, “neah”, a “short rising “week!” sound, and sings a distinctive song with a trilled note at the end, “Drink your TEA!”.

FAQ

How many bird species are native to Indiana?

More than 420 species of birds are native to Indiana. There are more than 420 bird species on the official Indiana bird list.

What is the most common bird in Indiana?

The most common bird in Indiana is the Northern Cardinal. According to sightings in eBird, this species has been seen more often than any other bird in the state.

What is the largest bird in Indiana?

The largest bird in Indiana is the American White Pelican. This massive white bird with black flight feathers has a wingspan of nine feet and a length of 62 inches.

The Trumpeter Swan is another very large bird in Indiana. This swan is 60 inches long, weighs 23 pounds, and has a wingspan of 80 inches.

What is the smallest bird in Indiana?

The smallest bird in Indiana is the miniscule Calliope Hummingbird. This very rare migrant to Indiana is just 3.25 inches.

What is the fastest bird in Indiana?

The fastest bird in Indiana is the Peregrine Falcon. The fastest bird in the world, it can fly as fast as 200 miles per hour!